Photo credit: Steve Dunsmoor

By Regan Bartel

Being prepared for puck drop

Caden Price’s game day routine

Nov 24, 2023 | 8:00 AM

Caden Price treats his body like a Formula One race car.

F1 mechanics will check tire pressure, the suspension, brakes, and engine oil levels.

The 18-year-old hockey player also goes through a methodical checklist, or what is described as the ultimate warmup before even thinking of gearing up in his hockey equipment and putting on his skates for pre-game warmup.

“My routine is pretty insane, to be honest,” Price told RocketFAN. “From start to finish, from getting here [to the arena] and getting dressed to going out takes about an hour-and-a-half.”

Price is one of the busiest players outside of the Rockets dressing room on a game day, spending time on the exercise bike, stretching with bands, and often doing some low-impact speed drills, which means acceleration techniques with typically no shirt, a pair of shorts, and his sneakers on.

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“It helps me to prepare for the ice,” Price now knows what works and doesn’t to perform at a high level. “I’ve come a long way with just injuries and injury prevention. I think it is a huge thing and I have some great people in my life that have helped me along the way to give me pointers on what to do.”

A third-round NHL draft pick of the Seattle Kraken from 2023, Price warms up, or wakes up his muscles like you would think an elite athlete should. He is focused on raising his core temperature, mobilizing his joints, and activating his muscles so that when the puck drops, he can play with maximum intensity.

“I am usually in a full sweat before I hit the ice,” he said. “When I am on the ice for warmup, it is all about getting in my puck touches and getting my hands warm by feeling the puck and getting chemistry with line-mates.”

Some junior players take a different approach. It includes a stop at a local coffee shop for a caffeine jolt, yet Price believes his natural adrenaline is enough to wake him up to play at an elite level.

Price realizes that a slow start or not being mentally and physically prepared can ruin his game.

“During warmup, obviously you can’t go as hard as you can for 15 minutes, but you need to use the time wisely,” he added. “A good warmup hopefully leads you into a hot start and hopefully a good start for our team.”

RocketFAN watched Price prepare for game action in Tri-City, and the attention to detail was impressive. Using sprint work and jumping, the Saskatoon resident is awakening his nervous system, preparing it to rapid fire once the game begins.

“I take warmup pretty seriously,” Price added.

Most of Price’s teammates will play some sort of sewer ball before breaking off and doing an individual warmup. At the NHL level, most players do some type of release work before even starting warm-up, which means five minutes of foam rolling on areas that feel restricted.

“I try to lead by example,” Price added if teammates attempt to mimic his game day routine.

“I am just trying to get warm, so I can play at the best of my abilities.”